Flexible Hair

Male hair — Photo: Tutti Frutti/Shutterstock

Q: Well, I'm a 17-year-old man who has a short to medium length of hair. For nearly my whole life I had short hair (about 1/4 of and inch) and just about 5 months ago I started growing it out. My hair now is about 3 3/4 inches and it is mostly wavy; my problem is that my hair is fixed in place and wont stay in any other position without a lot of gel.

Is there anything I can do (with flat ironing being the last option) that would make my hair more flexible without tons of gel? Do I need to grow my hair out longer for it to be more flexible? Or is my hair used to being short for so much of my life that it will take awhile for it to loosen up?

A: Your hair's natural wave pattern relies heavily on its texture and density to provide strength and resilience to the style.

It sounds as if your hair is pretty coarse (meaning that the individual hairs have larger diameter than normal) and that the hair is thick (meaning that there are a lot of hairs per square inch on the scalp). Because of this, the hair will require more length before it relaxes from its natural wave pattern.

You may want to consider having a thio-relaxer service to soften the curl of your hair and make the hair easier to style. The benefit of this option is that as the hair continues to grow out, the added length will allow the hair to continue to be styled with more versatility.

You may also opt for deep conditioning or hot oil treatments which will help to put the hair in its best possible condition and add extra weight to the hair, helping to relax it.

©Hairfinder.com

See also:

Hair straightening

What is deep conditioning?

What are the benefits of a hot oil hair treatment?